In the end, Josh Kroenke was faced with a simple decision: Acquiesce to the contract extension wishes of his coach, George Karl, or cut ties and take the organization in a different direction.

Kroenke chose the latter, and in a Friday morning news conference, the 33-year-old Nuggets president explained why.

"We talked about our future, we talked about our different desires for the organization," said Kroenke of a conversation he had with Karl on Sunday. "We both sat down and tried to figure out the best ways for both of us moving forward. My worst-case scenario that I kept coming back to was we're obviously going to start next season without (injured forward Danilo) Gallinari, and it would be a tough situation to put George in knowing that he might want to restructure his contract already.

Denver Nuggets President Josh Kroenke holds press conference June 7, 2013 giving details of the departure of George Karl as the Nuggets head coach at Pepsi Center. (John Leyba)

"If he was in the final year of his contract and we start off slow, that would be an impossible situation to put a coach of that stature in. I have the utmost respect for George Karl as a coach and as a person, and I did not want to put him in that situation. I felt that although it was a tough decision, I felt it was the right one to make at this point in time for us all to get a fresh start moving forward."

Karl had one year remaining on his contract, which had a team option for three more years. Kroenke wanted Karl to coach that last season before an extension decision was made, something the coach did not want to do.

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Among the early names connected with the Nuggets coaching search are Indiana assistant Brian Shaw and Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins. Kroenke said though the Nuggets roster is built for Karl's plan he is not married to a particular style, just that he wants to find the right candidate.

"At this point, I'm more curious to hear what they think our strengths and weaknesses are as a team," Kroenke said. "Because I have my thoughts on what I think our strengths and weaknesses are and I would love to hear it from some of the better basketball minds, some of the better coaching minds around the NBA."

2013 Karl ponders a question in a news conference after a stunning, six-game, first-round playoff loss to Golden State.

Kroenke said he'd seek input from some of the players but won't heavily weigh their opinions when making a final decision.

As for the decision to let Masai Ujiri, the former Nuggets executive director of basketball operations, go to Toronto, Kroenke said ultimately it was up to Ujiri.

Kroenke said that Ujiri, who won the NBA's executive of the year award, told him not to match the Raptors' five-year, $15 million offer, which included other incentives.

Once that became the tone, Ujiri's departure was a certainty. Kroenke said he did not believe Ujiri would have stayed in the Nuggets front office even if the team would have matched Toronto's offer. Kroenke said the two had an agreement on a contract extension, but told Ujiri the Raptors were "the only team I would let you out of our agreement for."

"It wasn't a black-and-white situation, which a lot of people tried to make it," Kroenke said. "I don't think it was a situation regarding money at all. I know people say that all the time, because of the dollars that are thrown around in this league, but there are a lot of close relationships involved as well.

"It was a tough decision for him, but to be named the head of basketball to back to the team that gave him the first real shot in the front office, I think it was a tremendous opportunity for him and I wish him the best."

Kroenke didn't place a timetable on when he wants individuals in place both for the general manager spot and coach. He also said it didn't much matter what order the two were hired. The in-house candidate for the general manager job is Pete D'Alessandro, who was Ujiri's assistant. Kroenke said he would sit down with D'Alessandro soon to discuss the opening and direction of the franchise. Otherwise, Kroenke said he has not conducted any interviews for general manager.

"There's people coming out of the woodwork for both jobs, which tells me that people think pretty highly of our organization," Kroenke said. "So I'm not panicked about making a decision right now. There's some really good candidates that are out there right now as well as some that are calling in behind the scenes, too. So, I'm going to take my time and there's going to be an interview process for both, and I think it's going to be great for the organization moving forward."

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